Which people are being referenced here?

Genesis 22:17

New International Version
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,



According to a quick Google search, there are at present time only 14.8 million Jews in the world. That's 0.0019% of the world population.


And who are the enemies mentioned?

a reply to: 19Bones79

Google undercounts Jews. Google is owned by a Hindu.

(Had to lend relevancy to your thread being started in the "General Conspiracies" forum.)

a reply to: carewemust

I don't doubt that what you said about Google, but even if you double or triple that number they have a very small population compared to the total population on earth.

a reply to: 19Bones79

Is that number Jewish faith or semitic blood related? Might make a difference

That group is ALL the descendants of Jacob, aka, Israel. It is made of of twelve tribes, of which Judah is one, and most of the descendants of the tribe of Judah are not classed as Jews today. Most of the tribe of Judah never returned from the Babylonian captivity, remaining behind in Persia and in the course of time, became Muslims. The descendants of the other tribes are alive and well, though sometimes difficult to identify.

a reply to: 19Bones79

Would Christians be counted in that estimate?

Because that's gonna affect the numbers a bit.

a reply to: 19Bones79

Modern jews refuse to accept Jesus as the messiah? And Christians took their place?

a reply to: strongfp

There are some Jews who accept Christ.

You would be surprised.

a reply to: 19Bones79

New International Version
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,

Abraham had two "seeds"... Ismael (born of Hagar, his mistress at his wife Sarah's urging) and Isaac (whom God had promised him, born from his wife Sarah). Ismael went on to found the Islamic peoples (see Genesis 21:9-21), who are quite numerous. That is the great multiplication of his seed. Isaac had a different purpose; It was the lineage of Isaac which became the Jewish people and brought Jesus into the world (founding Christianity). Isaac was the blessing to the world through Jesus.

There is a principle at play here: God cannot do for man what man will not do for God. In order for God to sacrifice His Son Jesus for mankind, mankind (via Abraham) had to sacrifice his son Isaac for God. Abraham fulfilled that test; he did not hesitate and only God's voice stopped him from plunging the knife into Isaac. Further study actually indicates the knife was on the way downward when God stayed Abraham's hand. That's a bit nuanced and difficult to explain to someone not already familiar with the Scriptures, but the point of the sacrifice still stands.

Long story short, Ismael was the multiplication and Isaac the blessing.

As for the enemies... an enemy is one who opposes. The Middle East today is covered almost exclusively with both Abrahamic lineages, but at the time of Abraham he was one lone person. Now his descendants inhabit the land of what was once their enemies, and have spread out throughout the world.

One could also argue that, by being born again through Christ, Christians are the brothers and sisters of Jesus... which would include all Christians in that multiplication.

TheRedneck

Thanks for all the informative replies, much appreciated.

I think of this in eternal terms.
once we get to Heaven, ALL the faithful Jews will be there, and all the Christians (Abraham's spiritual descendants).
that will be a lot of people.

a reply to: strongfp

Modern jews refuse to accept Jesus as the messiah? And Christians took their place?

Eh, you're close.

GENERAL EYES is quite correct; not all Jews deny Jesus as the Messiah. Most are still waiting for the promised Messiah, though. Jesus was rejected by many of the Jews of His time because the Jewish dogma was expecting a warrior; Jesus came as a peacemaker, not a warrior. The Biblical references that were interpreted as him being a warrior were spiritual, which many did not understand.

Jesus' disciples were Jewish, yet they went on to promote Christianity. Jesus Himself was Jewish, and He founded Christianity. There is no reason whatsoever a Jew cannot also be a Christian; the two beliefs are not incompatible. Judaism requires a belief in the Torah; Christianity requires a belief in Jesus the Christ. Jesus did not contradict the Torah; He actually preached from it.

Christian Gentiles did not "take anyone's place." Jesus came to the Jews first; they got first crack at believing. But He also came for the Gentiles. The Jewish people will always be God's Chosen; even the 144,000 army of Jesus in Revelation states clearly they will be Jewish, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. But the promises of God, while made first to the Jewish people, are also available to all of mankind. There is no ethnic restriction on God's favor.

TheRedneck

According the google search Han Chinese are biggest ethnic group in the world 4 billion of them. Mostly irreligious and some buddhism.

a reply to: 19Bones79

Remember that us Gentiles born again in Christ are also grafted in.

If my interpretation is correct only God could know the true numbers.

a reply to: 19Bones79

The New Testament specifically addresses this drectly in very plain words:

www.openbible.info...

Galatians 3:27-29 ESV / For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

It is THE WHOLE REASON why I follow Christ. The understanding is that I can be Abraham's through Christ. It is only Christ who stops me converting to Judaism as there is no need to do all that for me. It also says that G-D will keep a remnant of the originals. That is exactly what has happened.

A Jew is a Jew is a Jew. There are a billion Christians in the world. What The Most High says has happened. So has keeping the remnant and giving them back the home that was promised always if they would keep their side of the contract. They are part of a contract. We as Christians are excused from the Law, but have to accept Christ as the fulfillment of the Law in human form to pay for our sins. He is the crossroads and dimension gateway (The Way) between earth and Heaven. It is like Judah became the billion. They were separated from the beginning for a purpose I believe. I am a very studious and educated literary critic with a well sharp eye for detail. That BiBLE tallies like a 100% acurate banker's balance sheet. It makes me fear the One who appeared to Moses. I have had certain visions through my life and I know it is real beyond our reality. It is the real ET. It is Wheels spinning in the sky before prophets and prophets being taken up astrally to the highest dimension of Heaven out of time. Paul said he went there in spirit and was told not to tell what he saw.

This thing is huge. It spans thousands of years. Humans can't keep up a charade for that long and have everything continually conform to it. That is impossible. Only a miracle can keep a rhythm like that going of continuity of a theme so precisely through so many generations, from the days of Abraham and his culture memories from the Sumer to 1948 to us discussing this now. It is still happening and alive. When you look at it from that angle you begin to appreciate there is an intelligence and a plan unfolding beyond human scope.

a reply to: carewemust

(Had to lend relevancy to your thread being started in the "General Conspiracies" forum.)

Just to respond to your valid observation if you talk to 10 people about religion you might get 10 different versions of the same thing.

But yeah I understand what you mean.

a reply to: oddscreenname

All Arabs have semitic blood 😎

a reply to: 19Bones79

The People of Annoy, descendants from the house of Stupor.

Jokes aside, maybe you have to look at a different time? Or future time even?

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Coverdale simplified it.. first English version from the vulgate, hebrew and greek texts.

If ye be Christe's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs by promise

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a reply to: nickyw